Government To Pay For Teachers’ Professional Development Course (TPD)
Teachers are exhaling a sigh of relief after learning that the government will cover the cost of their employer’s controversial Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training, which was implemented last year.
Sh2 billion has been budgeted for in the 2021/2022 supplementary budget, which, if approved by Parliament, will alleviate the burden on teachers.
Teachers reacted angrily when they learned that they would have to pay Sh6,000 per year for each of the six modules they are required to complete over a five-year period. This means that a teacher would have had to pay Sh180,000 for the entire period if the government had not covered the cost of the training.
“As a committee, we agreed that we get this money from the Ministry of Education. We will now fight for the money to be included in the main budget,” Ms Florence Mutua, the chair of the Education and Research Committee of the National Assembly, revealed yesterday when the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) officials appeared before the MPs at a Nairobi hotel on Wednesday.
The committee was reviewing proposals from the Ministry of Education and the TSC for supplementary budget estimates.
The allocation comes as a result of a petition presented in Parliament by Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, a member of the committee and the national chair of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).
“Education is for public good and public consumption so we can’t surcharge teachers. TSC should treat it the same way it treats training for CBC. It is now in the hands of MPs to either say aye or nay, but we shall be defending it on the floor of the house,” Mr Milemba said.
Teachers are required to complete an upskilling module every five years under the TPD program, which began in December of last year, or risk losing their teaching licenses. During the school holidays, teachers will receive training.
Kenyatta University, Riara University, Mt Kenya University, and the Kenya Education Management Institute are currently offering the lucrative deal to train close to 500,000 teachers. TSC employs 341,760 teachers, while approximately 150,000 more work in private schools and many more are unemployed.
According to TSC, only the four were considered after other top universities gave the tender a wide berth and others were rejected on technical grounds.
TSC had planned to launch the program in 2018, but it was thwarted by a court case filed by the Kenya National Union of Teachers, which demanded that TSC pay for the teachers’ training. The case was dropped by the union’s new leadership, which took office in June.
Also Read:
- Earth’s Core Is Leaking, Says Scientists
- Mika Biereth reveals Heartwarming Support from Celtic Star in His Scottish Settlement
- Major Uplift for Mikel Arteta as Vital Arsenal Player Resumes Training
- Deal Done and Sealed: Midfield Maestro Set to Depart Manchester United After Five-Year Stay
- Moises Caicedo Breaks Silence as Liverpool Outbids Chelsea in Transfer Battle
Mr Milemba also requested that the TSC look into changing the service provider for the multibillion-shilling medical scheme, which has been managed by Minet Kenya since its inception in 2015. Teachers, he claims, are dissatisfied with the services they receive.
Mr. Ayabei stated that the request could only be considered at the tendering stage because it is an open competitive tender process in which only the top bidders are considered.
. Sh2 billion has been budgeted for in the 2021/2022 supplementary budge){kind=link}